Axle and body connection for drop-down vehicles and springs therefor.



' vPatented June l2, |900.

P. rlziinuun. AXLE AND BODY CONNECTION FOR DROP DOWN VEHICLES AND SPRINGSTHEREFDR.

{Applcaticn fled Oct. 9, 1899.)

S'Sheets-Sheei I.

(No Modei.)

Patented lune l2, |900.

P. FpTzGERALn. AXLE AND BODY CONNECTION FOR DROP DOWN VEHICLES AND SPRINGS TH EREFOR.

(Application fxled Oct. 9, 1899.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

IIIIIIIIIII No. 65|,598. Patented :une l2', |900. P. FITZGERALD.

AXLE AND BODY CONNECTION FOR DROP DOWN VEHICLES AND SPRINGS THEREFOR.

(Application led Oct. 9, 1899.)

(No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

NITED STATES PATRICK FITZGERALD, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

AXLE AND BODY CONNECTION FOR DROP-DOWN VEHICLES AND SPRINGS THEREFOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 651,598, dated J une 12, 1900.

Application filed October 9, 1899. Serial No. 733,013. (No model.)

T0 @ZZ whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, PATRICK FITZGERALD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Axle and Body Connections for Drop-Down Vehicles and in Springs Therefor, of Which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to axle and body connecting devices for vehicles and in springs therefor, the object being to provide for that class thereof ordinarily7 termed drop-down wagons improved devices connecting the axles thereof with the body of thewagon, whereby ample support is had for holding the axle in place under ordinary circumstances of road use, but affording all desired freedom of the body for easy vertical movements and an improved spring for this class of vehicles; and the invention consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement ofthe body and axle connecting devices andthe springs therefor, all as hereinafter fully described', and more particularly pointedout in the claims.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of portions of the body of a drop-down-Wagon body having my improved body and axle connections applied thereto, the axle and contiguous parts being shown in section and a part' of a wheel being shown thereon. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of a part of said body, illustrating the axle and springs connected thereto, one of the body and axle connections being shownn section. Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a part of the axle, of the devices applied to the Wagon-body, and of those intermediate of the latter and of the axle. Fig. 4: is partlya sectional and partly an edge view illustrating a slightly-modified construction of the device uniting the axle with the wagon-body. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of portions of the body of the wagon and of the axle and body connections and of the preferred spring construction for Vehicles of the class herein described.

Referring to the drawings, 2 indicates the drop-down central part of the wagon-body, and 3 the rear portion thereof, extending over the axle, on which one of the seats of the vehicle is ordinarily located, A portion of the floor of the body of the wagon between the said drop-down part 2 and the ordinarily corresponding front part of the body is indicated by 20 in Fig. l. The parts of each of the two axle and body uniting devices which are applied and secured to said body consist of a metal bar or strap lt, secured against the rear vertical wall of said drop-down portion 2 and of an outer bar or strap 5, both secured against said body by the bolts G. The central portion of said bar 5 is offset, as shown, thereby leaving a clear space a: between the two, and thus providing by said bars, arranged as aforesaid, oney part 5 for clear engagement with the below-described axle-yoke, whereby the body and axle, one or the other, may have free vertical movements while so connected, and both of saidy barsholding the axle firmly in line with the part of the body to which they are attached.

The axle 7 is adapted to receive ordinary carriage-wheels 8. The springs shown in Fig. 5 illustrate the preferred construction for vehicles of this class; but ordinary elliptic springs l2, such as are shownin Figs. land 2, may be employed and be connected between the axle and body, as there shown.

the rear wall of said drop-down part 2 of the body, as shown in Fig. 2. The said spring construction of Fig. 5 comprises for each spring, in addition to the usual elliptic part A, an auxiliary spring B, consisting, preferably, of two leaves bent or doubled about midway of their ends to bring the extremi-A ties or arms thereof substantially opposite eachother, but one arm being longer than the other for a purpose below described. The shorter arm. of the said Yauxiliary spring is .firmly secured to the lower bow of the elliptic spring l2, as shown, and to the top of the axle 7 thereunder, andthe longer arm thereof passes first rearwardly and then downwardly and under the axle in a forwardly and downwardly inclined direction by the side of said body portion 2, as shown in said lastnamed figure, and the extremity of the' arm is pivot-ally attached to said body side by a bolt C. In this spring construction the said auxiliary spring-arm B, connected by one extremity over and to the axle 7 and by its opposite extremity to the body ofthe vehicle, as

l The said; axle extends horizontally back of and near to' IOO in a vehicle having the axle and body con-` nections herein shown is that it greatly relleves the backward strain between the axle and the bars 5 5, which without said springarms would be entirely upon the yokes 9. The means of connection between said axle and the last-named body part consists ot' two metallic yokes 9, the construction of which is clearly shown in Fig. 3 and is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 in operative relation to the axle and the wagon-body, and is as follows: The

frame of said yokes comprises the side bars` a a and the transverse side uniting-bars c e` and is preferably made integrally of suitable cast metal, as malleable iron, and the said side bars are suitably perforated to receive two bars 13 13, preferably round, in fixed positions,- which are sufficiently separated to recelvc therebetween'the said offset central portion of the bar 5, as shown. This latternamed 5 bar has properly-smoothed su rfaces,and when more o1' less lubricated the vertical motion of the bars thereagainst while the wagon is running is f ree and easy. Said yoke is rigidly secured -to the said axle by the usual clips 10, which engage the latter and are attached to said yokes by the usual nuts, as shown.

In order to so cushion the main axle-sup:

porting parts, which are attached each to the other and tothe wagon-body, that a practicallynoiseless construction is produced,

strips of rubber 14 are interposed between having its shorter arm secured between said said straps 4 and 5 and the wagon-body.

The operation of the above-described axle and body connectionsis as follows: The normal position of said axle connections relative l to the strap 5, as shown in Fig. 1, is substantially such as they would be brought to nnder a common load-that is, the yoke 0 is about midway of the opposite ends of the opening or space between said straps 4 and 5, so that such vertical movementas the wagonbody may assume would be free, and the axle, by the engagement of the bars 13 between said straps, is firmly supported against any backward or forward movements which might arise from the roughness of the road. Hence it will be seen that through the simple above-described devices all requisite free movements of the body and axle are provided for and that in every case the strain upon the body arising from any uncommon obstruction that the wheels may encounter is substantially in a direct line between the axle and body. The said modification of axle and body connections illustrated in Fig. 4 provides for connecting the yoke 9 with the body by a single bar 16, having a friction-roll 17 thereon, which roll is of a diameter somewhat less than the width of the space between the inner opposite faces of the straps 4 `and 5, to the end that when the axle on which said yoke may be fixed is carried toward and from the body said roll shall bear alternately against said straps 4 and 5 and have rolling` movements corresponding with such vertical movements as the body may have.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Pat ent of the United States, is-

1. Axle and body connections for vehicles comprising one or more yokes 9, rigidly secured on the axle, each yoke comprising a metallic frame composed of two side bars a, c united at one end by a cross-bar and having two separated bars 13, 13, extending across the free end thereof, combined with a vertical yoke-engagin g bar 5 for each yoke extending freely between said separated bars and secured by their extremities to the vertical end of the vehicle-body, substantially as described.

2. Springs for each end of the rear axle of a vehicle of the class described, comprising an elliptic spring 12, intermediate of th-e axle 7, and the rearwardly-extcnding part 3 of the vehicle-body, and the two-armed spring B spring 12 and the axle, and extending from thence rearwardly in curved form and having the second arm extending forwardly, and pivotally attached to the outer side of the cen` tral drop-down part ot' said body, substantially as set forth.

PATRICK FlTZGERALD.

Witnesses:

'm 1l. A. CHAPIN,

K. I. CLEMoNs.

IOO 

